Senator Rand Paul said Monday that he was worried that the abortion positions of Joe Biden’s Health and Human Services Secretary pick, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, could be too “radical.”
Paul made his comments on Monday’s broadcast of Fox News Channel’s “The Story.”
Rand Paul: Becerra Has ‘Very Radical’ Position On Abortion
“I’m concerned about the reports that say that he’s been a champion for late-term abortion and at the time of birth abortion, and that’s outside the norm,” Paul said.
Paul noted that many abortion supporters don’t go as far as what Becerra is thought to believe.
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Sen. Paul said, “Even pro-choice people a lot of times will say they believe in some restrictions, but to believe in sort of complete, unlimited abortion until the time of birth or after, I think is something that’s a very radical position, and I would hate to have him in charge of trying to dispense government monies towards that kind of policy.”
The libertarian-leaning senator worried Becerra’s views on the unborn might run counter to his Kentucky constituent’s beliefs – meaning Paul would oppose Becerra’s confirmation in the Senate.
“So, we’ll look long and hard and I’ll try to keep an open mind, but my first impression of what I’m hearing about him is that he may be way outside the mainstream of what anybody in Kentucky would think is right,” Paul said.
One interesting Becerra wrinkle: If Republicans keep Senate, the HELP Committee that would process his nomination will either be chaired by Sen. Richard Burr, or Sen. Rand Paul
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) December 7, 2020
Tim Carney: Becerra Wants To ‘Impose His Extreme Abortion Beliefs On Others’
The Washington Examiner’s Tim Carney laid out on Monday just how extreme former congressman and current California Attorney General Becerra is on the abortion issue.
“Xavier Becerra defends abortion at every opportunity, which is standard for Democratic politicians in California,” Carney wrote. “But Becerra also uses his power, at every opportunity, to impose his extreme abortion beliefs on others.”
“As state attorney general and as a member of Congress, Becerra has used his government power to try to force pro-lifers and religious organizations to pay for abortions and contraception and also to pressure pro-life doctors or Catholic hospitals to perform abortions.”
Xavier Becerra is, no surprise, an absolutist on abortion. He won't brook restrictions on partial-birth abortion, sex-selective abortion, or any abortion at all. But that's not all… https://t.co/UIcJJiyALq
— Tim Carney (@TPCarney) December 7, 2020
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Most Americans Have Historically Opposed Partial Birth Abortions
Carney also analyzed Becerra’s position on partial birth abortions mentioned by Sen. Paul.
“Partial-birth abortion is a brutal procedure whereby a baby is partly delivered before it is killed. It is illegal in the United States, but Becerra believes it should be legal and has voted to that effect,” Carney noted.
Most Americans have historically been opposed to partial birth abortions since the issue began receiving national attention in the early 2000s.